Drum major (military)
A drum major in the military is the individual leading a military band or a field unit (corps of drums, fanfare band, pipe band or drum and bugle corps). It is an appointment, not a military rank. Military drum majors utilize a ceremonial mace for giving commands while marching. Many drum majors, particularly American- or British-influenced ones, wear a sash that can carry embroidered badges of their home unit and battle honors; a pair of ceremonial drum sticks are often attached.
See also: Drum major (marching band)
The position of drum major originated in England with the corps of drums in 1650. Military groups performed mostly duty calls and battle signals during that period, and a fife and drum corps, directed by the drum major, would execute short pieces to communicate to field units. With the arrival of military concert bands and pipe bands around the 18th century, the position of the drum major was adapted to those ensembles.
Traditionally, a military drum major was responsible for:
The drum major was also given duties in the battalion at several points in history, which included the administering of military justice (lashing), to any member of the battalion, and collecting the battalion's post.
In addition to the duties above, The British Army also included a royal appointment of Drum Major General, whose duties included inspecting all other field music as well as (per The Drummer's Handbook) granting drummers licences, without which one would not be recognised as a drummer. This position was discontinued in the 18th century.
Tasks[edit]
The main task of a military drum major is to control the tempo that the band plays at as well as set the marching pace. A secondary role may be conducting the music of the appropriate music for the band. Another major task for drum majors is giving certain drill commands to the entire to denote whether to turn to the left or right, perform a counter march or mark time, or halt and cut off the music. Depending on the size of the band, there may be up to four drum majors on hand, with one serving as the senior drum major. In a massed bands formation which involves multiple bands, there may be 10-12 drum majors present, with either one or two bearing the duty as senior drum major. In the British Armed Forces, every band only has a single drum major; where massed bands are present, one will act as senior drum major. All drum majors use a ceremonial mace to give commands while marching and performing.
Drum Major (Warrant Officer), Royal Air Force
United Kingdom
United States
Former Soviet Union
China